1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to informative displays for use with low temperature refrigeration units. More particularly, the invention relates to a vacuum fluorescent iconographic display using icons, numerals, and recognized symbols for communicating to a technician the operating conditions of an associated low temperature refrigeration unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is often desirable to audit or monitor the operating conditions of a low temperature refrigeration unit. Depending on the nature of the contents cooled and stored within the unit, an awareness of the unit""s operation and potential problems can prove invaluable, cost-saving, or even life-saving. For example, if the contents are biological samples, the thawing of those samples because of an unmonitored or unrecognized condition of the low temperature refrigeration unit could result in a complete loss of the possibly irreplaceable samples. In another example, if the contents are vaccines or other medicines or medical testing material, thawing could render the contents ineffective or even dangerous.
Some low temperature refrigeration units lack any sort of display or monitoring system, or include only the most primitive indicators monitoring the most obvious conditions. Such displays are often cumbersome and confusing, requiring a knowledge of the language or cryptic symbology with which the displays communicate. One existing temperature reporting system, for example, requires deciphering a circular chart upon which the temperature record appears. The circular chart itself must be frequently replaced and the system as a whole maintained for the display to be trustworthy. Another system uses light emitting diodes (LEDs) in combination with an interpretive legend. Even were a technician able to read and understand the legend of this latter system, confusing the LEDs or misinterpreting their significance can easily result in the loss of irreplaceable or costly contents or the unsafe use of contents damaged because of an unmonitored or unrecognized condition of the low temperature refrigeration unit.
Some existing iconographic displays use an iconic opening backlit by an LED. Unfortunately, backlit displays are visible only from a limited range of viewing angles, typically only within a few degrees from the direct front of the display, making them difficult to read in many situations. Furthermore, an LED that has ceased to operate properly can be difficult to identify, increasing the likelihood of a technician not recognizing the occurrence of the condition associated with that LED. Liquid crystal iconographic displays also suffer from a viewing angle limitation.
Due to the above identified and other limitations of the current art, a need exists for an improved communicative display.
The present invention solves the above-described and other problems and provides a distinct advance in the art of communicative displays for low temperature refrigeration units. More particularly, the present invention provides a vacuum fluorescent iconographic display operable to quickly, efficiently, and reliably communicate the operating conditions of a low temperature refrigeration unit with which the display is associated. This is accomplished without reliance on legends or conventional written language of any sort or high-maintenance schemes or devices.
In a preferred embodiment, the iconographic display uses only unambiguous pictorial icons, numbers, and recognized symbols to convey information. The icons represent and are easily and intuitively identifiable with various unit conditions. This allows the display to avoid translation or interpretation mistakes inherent in using a written or spoken language in a possibly international product or multi-lingual situation.
The icons may also be useful in diagnostic applications, by lighting, for example, in combination with the numerical display to communicate quantitative diagnostic measurements of the subsystem represented by the icon.
Because it employs vacuum fluorescence technology, the iconographic display is brighter and visible from a greater range of viewing angles than the existing art, further aiding in the recognition of reported conditions.
These and other features of the present invention are more fully described below in the section entitled A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT.